East Walker River Fishing Report

Please check out the incredible brown that Wes Roznowski persuaded to the net for a picture while being guided by Sierra Drifters Two Bug Doug Dolan recently on the EW. Even by East Walker standards this is a great fish & worthy of a look folks. The EW is fishing great and the conditions near perfect for opportunities to get into some Franken Trout! The fall season brings out the "worst" in the browns here. I mean here of course, they lose their normal discriminating demeanor and become almost reckless while defending a section of water. In addition cooling water temps and lower sun angle during the fall can trigger continuous feeding behavior as programmed instincts telegraph to their appetites leaner winter like conditions are approaching. I trust you will be prepared for a monster brown by having a streamer rig with a light to moderate sinking tip line to chuck & duck a streamer at the beasts when the opportunity presents itself. I was amazed at how numerous & diverse the population of smaller forage fish is after doing electro surveys with the Cal DFG a little while back. Perch, chubs, suckers, red sided dace, sculpin, & crayfish. Larger predators hunt these smaller baitfish to sustain their huge body weights. Selecting imitations and presenting them in areas that are frequented by these smaller fish will increase your chances of an encounter of the large kind.

Guide tip: Plain & simple, don't fish riffle or pocket water when hunting heads with streamers. Look for slower back waters and eddies in the larger pools. A weed line or overhanging willows make adequate hiding for smaller fish. Work your imitations along the transitions in these areas. Swing your flies into the sweet spots whenever possible-don't cast on top of the target water. The EW is chock full of great streamer water and the rewards can be huge. This fishery is open year around.

If you would like to go fly fishing with Sierra Drifters give them a call at (760) 935 4250 and for more information visit their website www.sierradriters.com.